What We Will Give
by Ryle Hira
Summary: Love is never easy, and taking care of brothers alone only makes it harder. But what will two people give for love... (first fic, please r&r)
1. Kind Gentleman

I own nothing of the Newsies.

Min jogged down the street, heading towards the distribution office. She had tied her golden red hair back halfway with a set of pins and wore a grayish green blouse, tired black shoes and a unique pair of black trousers. She hid the suspenders beneath the shirt. Most of the day she walked around New York with that day's papes over a strap that crossed her chest. People came up to her to ask about why she wore pants and almost always got conned into buying a pape.  It was her trademark and was nearly as successful as Jack and his lies. 

At night, or during the day if she had time, she would sing in Vaudeville theatres and taverns picking up tips and money to supplement for her brothers. Jacob and Jonan were both younger than her. Jacob was four and Jonan was a year younger. She was fifteen. They all shared the same basic hair color, but Jonan's was slightly darker and Jacob's was a bit lighter. 

They were all the family she had. Influenza had killed her mother after Jonan was born. Her father had gotten drunk and killed himself before he even knew about Jonan. After both of their parents died, her older brother Jeremy took care of them, and continued working as a newsie, the job he had done for almost a year. Through his street job, Min met the newsies and learned about them. Jeremy moved them into a small tenement apartment a few blocks from the distribution office. That was still where they lived, but Jeremy was no longer there. He got killed in a riot two months after moving them in and suddenly everything had fallen to her. 

Until she had started with the Newsies she had been known as Joanna Joy. Her mother had always loved names that started with J. Working with the newsies, and thanks to her height of five two, she had come to be known as Miniature, Min. On top of both of her jobs and taking care of their home, Min also had a small, and back-alley deal with the city. To keep them from taking away her brothers, every one of her Sundays had to be spent at a church working for the nuns and confessing her sins. It was a fair trade in her mind as the reason her brothers were still with her.

Jonan was constantly getting sick, and she was always afraid that it could kill him. Then she would realize that he was probably safe so long as she and Jacob were alive. The family trend killed by age moving from eldest to youngest. Her father, her mother, her older brother.

 Jonan was healthy at the moment and he and his brother were left home through the day. 

Min actually loved being a newsie. Singing was a hobby, but selling papes was what she did.

She rounded the corner and saw the boys waiting for the gates to be opened.   

"Hey Min." Jack said. "You seen the headline today?"

"Nah, anything good?"

"It ain't worded well, but the trolley strikers went violent after two weeks."

"That's something I guess."

"Heya Min, ya comin' tonight? It's five card draw," Race invited, "yer best game. It's around nine at the Lodging House." 

Min had become a dedicated gambler under Race's training, and she deeply appreciated it. It helped to fill in the holes with a little money. She smiled. "Why so late?"

"I gotta get back from da track."

"Ah, of course, got a tip for tonight?"

"I might."

Jack laughed, "So ya ain't got anything."

"Nothing." Race said melodramatically. 

A voice called from the office, calling for the gates to open. The newsies rushed forward and moved into line. Min was near to the front. 

"Eighty papes." She said. 

"Here ya go, shrimp." Morris said with a sneer. 

"Thank ya my ignorant friend." She responded mockingly. He could only mutter. 

Min flipped through and found a few stories to call out to the streets. Race sat down next to her and began to look through his own papers. 

"So's where's yer spot for today?" He asked her.

"I was gonna head over to Central Park. Guaranteed."

"Yeah, mind if I come?"

She beamed mentally, but made her face scrutinize him. "Ya tryin' to take my customers?"

"Only if you don't want 'em." He said innocently as he lit another cigarette. 

"Sure den."

They broke off from the others and headed towards the park. She had managed to sell twenty of her papes before she had even gotten there. Race sold fifteen, and had managed two, dime-sized tips. Min had only managed a single dime so far. Both of them separated by a few dozen yards so they had fair game. 

A young gentleman walked up and tipped his hat to her. He stared at her pants for a few minutes and then sighed, "Why exactly are you wearing those?" His voice was well educated.

She smiled an especially manipulative smile and said, "Well, they are far more comfortable, but in truth sir," she had the ability to speak just like he did, "I don't have a skirt. I am saving though."

"Ah, I'd like a paper if that's not a problem." She handed it to him and he stuck it under his arm. For a fleeting moment she thought that he was not going to pay, but then he dropped the money in her hand, wrapping his fists around her tiny hands. "Keep saving." He said quietly and walked off. 

She opened her palm and came close to dropping her half-dozen remaining papes. There was just over a dollar in assorted change.  Race must have noticed the prolonged sale and came to speak with her. 

"Youse alright?"

"Yeah, very much alright." She showed him her hand and he jumped back mutely.  Cramming the money in her pocket she sold off her remaining papes in record time, and both of them went to lunch, promised on her. 

Tibby's was closest, and they went hurriedly there. A light rain picked up when they were a few blocks away. It led to them sitting down damply at a table and smiling through the whole affair. Race's hair was doing many amusing things. As it turned out, once it got wet, it became completely random. His hat had protected part of it, but the rest was sticking out at strange angles.  She had to suppress the urge to reach over and fix it. 

As they finished bowls of soup the door opened to admit Jack, Boots and Mush. They came over and she offered to buy their meal as well, courtesy of "the kind man in Central Park."

Being non-idiots, they accepted and were brought their own food. Race told the story to them, and by the end everyone was laughing at the absurdity with which it was reenacted. 

Around two they left, Race headed for the track, Jack into oblivion, Boots and Mush to the Lodging House, and Min to her brothers with presents. 

Her house was well below modest with a bed crammed into one side and everything pushing against it. The only thing that had any room around it was the stove, and that was only to prevent a fire. Tired and tattered curtains floated over the window, and the quilt on the bed had several gaping holes. The random smattering of cooking supplies lay haphazardly on the tiny counter, balanced in and among one another. Most of the world would have considered it disgraceful, but she loved it. 

Jacob barreled off the bed and hugged her around the middle, and Jonan wrapped his arms around her legs. She was forced to half waddle the remaining steps into the house. Their clothing was better off than hers, but she had to own a dress for when she was around the nuns, and the boys tended to receive replacements first. 

Jonan was now sitting on the bed again, and she lifted Jacob to sit next to him while she went to the cupboards. She looked around at what they had and what they needed, then she went to the jar over the sink. It held the money that they had. She looked at it and smiled again. 

"You two wanna come wit me tah da store?" They jumped up, perkily pulling on their shoes. She paid for everything they needed, but they still loved getting to walk around looking at every neat and interesting item. 

Always close by, they followed her down the street to the store. 

When they left half an hour later she had a small bag and both the boys had candy, which they sucked on happily. They had bought cheese, bread, noodles, flour, beans, a few potatoes, and even a tiny bit of bacon. The bacon should have been smaller, but the shopkeeper had looked at the boys, winked and cut larger for the same price. 

The boys were settled down for the night, under orders not to open the door, when she went outside to find the poker game.  

There you go, first chapter, please review, or burn it, or tell me it's wonderful (haha) or anything to let me know if it is being read. I know the whole story, but please tell me whether I should bother to type it up.


	2. Straight Flush

I own nothing. 

"Heya Min. Yer late." Race called as she walked in. 

She laughed and sat down happily between Race and Blink. "Yeah, I know. Penny ante?"

"'Course. Let's start already." Boots said, and he dealt out the hands. There were six of them playing: her, Race, Blink, Boots, Jack, and Skittery. Jack had his hat pulled down low over his eyes and he stared disapprovingly at his cards. He wasn't a poker player. 

Boots called for cards, and Skittery asked for four. He showed them the ace of spades, and he was handed his cards. Upon receiving them, he laughed and folded. Blink took two and made no response. Jack took three and grinned slightly. Race took one and closed his hand inside his palm. She looked down at her own cards. Pulling them one by one from behind the others she tried not to hold her breath.

Three of diamonds.

Six of diamonds. 

Two of diamonds.

Five of diamonds. 

Four of clubs.

"Shit." She whispered, and all of the boys grinned. "One cahd Boots." He slid it to her, and she picked it up slowly. Not letting a shred of emotion taint her face, she lifted it into her hand.

Four of diamonds. 

Straight flush.

Still letting no emotion show, and she met the four cents that had been put into the pool. 

"I see dat, and raise four mo'e." She had amazing luck in her first hand. It happened in nearly every game, she would do sensationally well, then mediocre for the rest of the game, but came out ahead most of the time. It was practically tradition. Race Jack and Boots all stayed in, while Blink folded out. By the time the betting was done and Jack had called, there was close to a dollar in the pool. 

Because of the seating situation the call went first to her. She humbly set the hand down, arrayed so all of them could see it. Jack threw his cards onto the table with a scoff. Boots didn't even bother to show his hand, and started laughing. She smiled and paused to apologize to Race.

"Actually. I'se guess I'm sorry too." He responded. He set down his hand, and she moaned in anger. 

A second straight flush.

In spades.

Four through eight.

Race stuck a cigar into his mouth and pulled in the pool. Most of the room was laughing unstoppably, and she couldn't prevent a smile from breaking over her mouth.   

"Not faih Race, not faih." She muttered, still grinning. 

He winked and she began laughing with the others. Without the first burst of luck, Min failed to do as well as usual, but walked out with a couple dimes over what she had started with. Race offered to walk her back. With the trolley strike in full motion, nobody went around at night alone if they could help it. He and Jack walked her back to her building. They paused to watch a short scuffle between a scab and a striker. They also watched the bulls take the striker into the slam. 

 Jack stayed in a shadow when the bulls were around, but when it was done, they all were talking sarcastically about the 'great' headline.

"Man Slapped in da Face; no Majoh Injuries."  

"Trolley Woikah's Can't Fight."

"Scabber Screams like Girl, no offense Min." Race added.

"None taken."

They made sure she was safe in her room, waved to her brothers and then left. She kissed her brothers' foreheads, and climbed into her chair, curled up and fell fast asleep. 

Yes, it is short. Please, PLEASE review. JJ


End file.
